KIRKUS REVIEW

After her financier husband commits suicide rather than face
jail time for stealing from his clients, Emma Shay Compton comes home to Sonoma
with the shadow of his crimes over her and must reinvent herself in a hostile
landscape while reconnecting with friends she’d thought lost forever.

When Emma married her wealthy husband, she had no idea he was
running a Ponzi scheme, but that doesn’t make it any easier to convince people
of her innocence once he’s accused and kills himself. Going from mad wealth to
mere sustenance isn’t as hard as knowing her husband ruined lives, but when she
moves back to her hometown and finds it almost impossible to get a job, Emma
begins to wonder if she’ll be able to survive, much less thrive. With help from
a friend she finds a place to live and gets a terrible job that doesn’t last,
but through it she runs into Adam, the brother of Riley, her childhood best
friend. Riley had betrayed Emma in college, having an affair with her longtime
boyfriend, which ended the friendship for good. But now Riley runs a cleaning
company with better opportunities than anything Emma can find, so Adam
encourages her to get in touch with Riley and see if she can help. Emma
swallows her pride and asks Riley for a job, which she gives her, but the two
still hold grudges from the past, and neither is interested in trying to
rekindle their friendship. Riley is surprised to discover, however, that Emma
is truly determined to work hard and embrace her new, simpler life, and both women
discover they admire and like the older versions of each other. And when
circumstances threaten their families and happiness, they’ll both question what
they’re holding onto—for instance, anger, resentment, and pride—and what
they’re missing out on. Carr’s take on this complicated situation is
interesting, though readers seeking a deeper reflection from Emma in the
aftermath of her husband’s death or her stepmother’s spite may be disappointed.

A satisfying reinvention story that handles painful issues with
a light and uplifting touch.

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